World’s Worst Poet Outsold Harry Potter

Posted by Alex in Book & Lit on May 21, 2008 at 4:41 pm


William McGonagall, ridiculed as "the world’s worst poet" has just outsold Harry Potter in an auction in Edinburgh, Ireland Scotland (duh!):

Alex Dove, from auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull, said: "He was a confident gentleman who thought that his poetry was some of the best.

"He once walked all the way to Balmoral to try to become Poet Laureate. Unfortunately the Queen wasn’t in.

"He spent a lot of time on the streets of Dundee trying to sell his poems and performing them, much to the amusement of the residents. "Poet-baiting became quite an activity for the students of the time, where they would encourage him to perform, and then they would throw eggs and vegetables at him.

The new owner’s bid for the poems was £5,500, but once commission is included they will have to fork out £6,600. The Harry Potter books only brought in £6,000.

Link

Previously on Neatorama: The World’s Worst Poet




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COMMENT

7 comments to "World’s Worst Poet Outsold Harry Potter"

  1. Bill
    May 21st, 2008 at 5:01 pm

    Not Ireland but Scotland……i hope.

  2. kaelyn
    May 21st, 2008 at 5:11 pm

    His last name is McGonagall and he outsold Harry Potter… that is almost too ironic.

  3. CheeseDuck
    May 21st, 2008 at 5:21 pm

    Vogon poetry is of course, the third worst in the universe. The second worst is that of the Azgoths of Kria. During a recitation by their poet master Grunthos the Flatulent of his poem “Ode to a Small Lump of Green Putty I Found in My Armpit One Midsummer Morning” four of his audience died of internal haemorrhaging and the president of the Mid-Galactic Arts Nobbling Council survived by gnawing one of his own legs off. Grunthos was reported to have been “disappointed” by the poem’s reception, and was about to embark on a reading of his 12-book epic entitled “My Favourite Bathtime Gurgles” when his own major intestine, in a desperate attempt to save humanity, leapt straight up through his neck and throttled his brain. The very worst poetry of all perished along with its creator, William McGonagall? Vogon poetry is mild by comparison.

  4. Idil
    May 21st, 2008 at 7:28 pm

    He’s definitely a much better poet than me

  5. oliver
    May 22nd, 2008 at 2:10 am

    ….
    What the hell does this mean? The Harry Potter books made one hell of a lot more than 6000 pounds. Did I miss something really important?

  6. Pol x
    May 22nd, 2008 at 4:40 am

    You know, in a way MCGonagall makes me happy to be Scottish.

    We are an odd bunch the scots, as we seem to enjoy our failures as much as we do out successes.

    I think because either is a good excuse for a wee drinkie.

  7. plainswalker75
    May 22nd, 2008 at 10:55 am

    Oliver:

    Did you read the bloody article? Second paragraph:

    “A total of 35 of William McGonagall’s works - many of them autographed - have been up for auction in Edinburgh.

    The ditties by “The Tayside Tragedian” went for more than a collection of Harry Potter first editions signed by author JK Rowling.”


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